Google rewrites 6 out of every 10 page titles to make them more relevant for searchers, according to a comprehensive new study by SEO tool provider, Zyppy.
After analysing 80,000 title tags across more than 2,300 sites, Zyppy found Google decides to intervene and optimise 61.6% of title tags, with the changes ranging from small tweaks to complete rewrites.
The fact that Google overhauls so many page titles may come as a shock to marketers, especially those who have spent considerable time crafting a seemingly perfect header for articles and blogs.
So, is optimising titles wasting time? Not necessarily, if you follow Google’s general guidelines for page titles.
Titles should be between 50 to 60 characters and not be too heavy in terms of brand mentions and keywords.
The study found Google rewrites 95% of titles when they are either very short or very long, with those clocking in at more than 70 characters being changed 99.99% of the time.
However, those able to hit the sweet spot of 50 to 60 characters when content writing fare better, with Google intervening only 39% to 42% of the time.
The inclusion of brackets and title separators is also more likely to lead to rewrites, even though they can help to make content stand out in SERPs.
While it may be disheartening, the changes are being made to increase the relevance of pages, so it is actually a good thing overall.
And rewrites are a part of search, as Google’s John Mueller does not expect the release of any tools or systems that will enable marketers to restrict changes to titles.
